Away Clear Pouch Set Review

There are many reasons to pick up a clear toiletry bag, not the least of which is to comply with TSA’s 3-1-1 liquids rule, which allows you to bring 3.4 ounces, or 100 ml, of liquids in one quart or liter size clear plastic bag. It used to be that you’d have to remove this from your luggage to go through security, and that’s still the case in some places, but you don’t always have to do it nowadays, especially if you have a prescreening service like TSA PreCheck.

So, why would you want a more premium clear pouch for your grooming gear, and do you need two? We set out to answer that while testing the Away Clear Pouch Set.

External Components

The Clear Pouch Set from Away is made primarily with clear TPU. There are also touches of recycled polyester on both kits, albeit more on the smaller size.

Both bags also include 51% recycled leather and 49% manmade material on the trim. We’re not sure how we feel about leather near the zipper track long-term; it looks nice, but we can see that it might get stained with sunscreen or makeup. So far, our sample still looks pristine, and you’ll hopefully notice any spills or smudges before they become permanent reminders.

The small pouch fits inside the medium pouch for storage, which we appreciate. The small one also includes side gussets to keep your gear from falling out, which is helpful since the zipper arcs around the bag, thus exposing the sides. The medium pouch only zips at the top, so gussets aren’t necessary.

Away uses YKK zippers with Away-branded pulls on these pouches. We have no issue with the fasteners, even rounding the corner of the small pouch, probably because there aren’t actual corners, just curves.

The medium pouch has a branded tag attached to the side of the zipper track, but there’s no additional branding on the small. The small, however, has a recycled polyester base, while the medium is TPU all the way around, so there are a few differences between the two.

Inside The Pack

What you see is what you get with the Clear Pouch Set, although that seems to be the point of getting it.

Along with potentially using the smaller one for your 3-1-1 bag and to have essential toiletries in flight, the clear TPU allows you to see exactly where everything is inside each pouch. Where did your tiny lip balm fall to? It’s right there in the bottom corner! What about your razor? There it is wedged between two bottles. With the clear sides, you can see it before grabbing, so you don’t cut your finger on the blade.

At first, we were perplexed as to why you would need a larger clear bag, but that visibility is a good reason. Another is that, if you’re checking a bag or not flying, you can put larger liquids inside the medium pouch and contain the mess if they leak. We could fit four full-size bottles of sunscreen and a bottle of bug spray inside for a recent trip to the cottage by laying them on their side instead of standing them upright, as you might with travel-sized bottles.

That leads us to one caveat that isn’t unique to the Away Clear Pouch Set: it has no dividers, pockets, or any means of keeping gear sorted, so everything will jumble around willy-nilly in transit, no matter how carefully you pack it. You could jam-pack it until there is no space for anything to move, but then you’ll have to unpack your pouch to get anything you need. While you could do that if you’re traveling somewhere with a lot of counter space in the bathroom and will be staying there for a little while, it won’t help if you’re the type of traveler who prefers to live out of their Dopp kit or toiletry bag.

So, if you’re looking for a more premium option for a clear toiletry kit, have a use for two different sizes, and don’t mind paying for the upgrade over the local discount store, the Away Clear Pouch Set might be a good call. However, if you’re willing to forgo the leather trim and built-in gussets, you can find similar options for much less that will likely last just as long.